Labor History in 2:00

August 5 A Law for Family Values

On this day in Labor History the year was 1993. That was the day that the Family Medical Leave Act went into effect. Union members worked hard to support this legislation, testifying before congress and holding rallies. It was an uphill battle to pass the bill. Starting in 1984 family medical leave was brought before Congress. 

August 4 Continuing the Push for Cheap Exploitable Labor

On this day in Labor History the year was 1942.  That was the day that the United States and Mexico signed the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement.  It became known as the Bracero Program.  The word “bracero” can be translated into “one who works with his arms” and refers to farm workers. 

August 3 The Wheatland Riot

On this day in Labor History the year was 1912. That was the day that became known in California as the “Wheatland Riot.” The Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, were trying to organize hop pickers, who worked near the city of Wheatland in Northern California. Living conditions for the hop pickers were rough.  

August 2 The Hatch Act Enacted

On this day in Labor History the year was 1939.  That was the day that the Hatch Act was enacted.  The law was named after Senator Carl Hatch, a Democratic Senator from New Mexico. The Hatch Act limits political activity by federal employees.  One of the reasons the law was passed was due to allegations of corruption by the Works Progress Administration.  

August 1 Another Working Class Martyr

On this day in Labor History the year was 1917.  Frank Little, an activist for the Industrial Workers of The World, or Wobblies was lynched near Butte, Montana.  His beaten body was found hung off of a railroad trestle.  On it was pinned a disturbing note.  

July 31 NFL Players Fight for a Voice

On this day in Labor History the year was 1970.  That was the day the NFL Players Association went out on strike.  The American Football League and the National Football League officially merged that year.  Each league had their own player’s association.  With the league merger they joined forces into one union.  

July 30 Medicare Becomes a Reality

On this day in Labor History the year was 1965.  That was the day that US President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law.  This federally funded healthcare program provides assistance to one of the country’s most vulnerable populations—the elderly.  At the time the law was enacted, many seniors found it difficult, if not impossible, to get private health insurance.  

July 29 An Unlucky Day at Shamrock

On this day in Labor History the year was 1956.  That was the day that an oil tank explosion took the lives of nineteen men fighting a fire at Shamrock Oil and Gas company in the northeast of Dumas, Texas.   Dumas was in the Texas panhandle, oil boom country.  The day after the tragedy, the Chicago Daily Tribune carried the story of what happened.  

July 28 Burning Veterans Out

On this day in Labor History the year was 1932.  That was the day that flames burned in the US Capitol.  The US armed forces set fire to a “shanty-town” of unemployed World War I veterans.  The veterans had come to the capitol to demand a bonus that had been promised for their service.  The payment was not due until 1945. But the nation was in the throes of the Great Depression.  Desperate veterans demanded the bonus be paid early.  

July 27 The March of the Mill Children

On this day in Labor History the year was 1903. Labor leader “Mother” Mary Harris Jones was leading a march of child laborers to President Theodore Roosevelt’s summer home in New York. The long march had begun twenty days before in Philadelphia. Mother Jones was hoping to draw national attention to the plight of child workers.